Slow cooker mincemeat

Author:Craig

Prep Time:15 minutes

Cook Time:2.5 hours

Total Time:2 hours 45 minutes

Yield:1.75 litres

Category:Christmas

Description

This is a great way of making your own mincemeat. It works whether you are making a couple of big jars to use in your kitchen for your own Christmas baking, or making up smaller jars to give to others. As always, the slow cooker takes a bit of time, but it’s totally worth it.

Ingredients

800g mixed dried fruit (I used one with mixed peel in it)

400g cooking apple (e.g. bramley)

100g glace cherries

100g dried apricots

50g mixed peel

50g ground almonds

250g dark brown sugar

200g vegetable suet

zest and juice of 2 lemons

zest and juice of 2 oranges

1 tsp ground ginger

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

150ml brandy (alternative: apple or orange juice)

Instructions

Put all your ingredients (minus about half the brandy) in the slow cooker and mix together with a wooden or silicon spoon. Cook on high for 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes).

Turn the slow cooker down (don’t take the lid off, it’ll affect the temperature) to low and cook for another hour and 15 minutes.

About half an hour before the end, sterilise your jars.

Take the lid off the slow cooker, mix through the remaining brandy and then decant into the sterilised jars. Seal securely and put in a cupboard and keep out of sunlight before use.